Meditating under a waterfall—this method of testing “endurance” and “concentration” had a deep cinematic appeal in Terrance’s impression.
Although he was very familiar with this method and had seen it many times in various places, he never found it particularly interesting.
Terrance didn’t dislike this kind of training, but in his view… it manifested in two ways: first, it could help you look cool, and second, it could help you acquire something called “arthritis.”
In his past life, he would have never imitated or even attempted such training. However, after crossing into this world, this method seemed to have some merit. At the very least, the physical capabilities that humans in this world could reach were far beyond those of the so-called wrestling champions of his previous life.
Moreover, abstract concepts like “psychic power” have become tangible here. So, when facing the challenge against Gumshoos, Terrance was actually quite invested—if he could gain something from this trial, that would be even better.
Mr. Hala took out a meditation outfit from out of nowhere, as if he had been carrying it around all along. Terrance hadn’t noticed it at first.
Catching the meditation outfit that Mr. Hala tossed over, Terrance wasn’t shy and changed into it right there in the depths of the forest.
Gumshoos and the Yungoos watched with great interest as Terrance changed his clothes. Once he was done, Gumshoos let out a roar, and the Yungoos underlings immediately retreated to the side. Some even ran up the waterfall to inspect that it was safe above.
“Recorded, Roto! Recorded, Roto!” Rotom Pokédex floated beside Terrance and announced.
“Recorded what?” Terrance asked. Wasn’t the trial yet to begin?
“Terrance, the entire process of you changing clothes just now.”
“…That doesn’t need to be recorded. Delete it.” Terrance’s face turned dark.
“Uh? Alright, Roto…” Rotom Pokédex gazed at the sky in confusion.
…
When Terrance followed Gumshoos onto the massive rock beneath the waterfall, the splashing droplets brushed against him, sending a chill through his entire body.
“So cold.” Terrance shivered. The meditation outfit was thin, and combined with the temperature difference near the waterfall, he felt an intense discomfort.
The water was freezing. Without strong willpower, it might really be impossible to endure for long.
“Can Gumshoos handle this?” Terrance glanced at Gumshoos out of the corner of his eye. He remembered that Gumshoos’ patience was primarily focused on waiting for prey and withstanding hunger. Could that kind of endurance also apply to waterfall meditation?
“The trial begins!!” Mr. Hala shouted loudly.
“Alright.” Terrance responded, and at the same time, Gumshoos’ eyes flashed as it took the lead, positioning itself under the waterfall.
“Let’s go.”
Terrance followed closely behind, unwilling to be outdone. However, as soon as he reached the same position as Gumshoos and felt the impact and chill of the waterfall, he immediately sobered up.
The freezing temperature was one thing, but the force of the waterfall was greater than Terrance had imagined. Even with his decent physique, he could still feel the pressure.
“Good thing this waterfall’s current isn’t too strong.” Terrance gritted his teeth.
In this environment, Terrance had no time to observe Gumshoos—he could barely fend for himself. He had to focus entirely on resisting the cold and the impact.
“Not bad.” Mr. Hala’s eyes lit up as he observed Terrance’s performance. Having trained here himself, he naturally understood how difficult this kind of training was. For someone only in their teens, Terrance’s physique and willpower was quite impressive.
“He’s got a solid foundation.” However, Hala didn’t expect Terrance to pass the trial in a short time. The Island Challenge was a long process, sometimes even taking years to complete. As an Island Kahuna, his role was to set up one trial after another for challengers, using these obstacles to help them grow.
Generally speaking, those who managed to clear these trials were exceptional individuals in many ways.
“I can’t keep going like this.” As time passed, the pressure on Terrance grew heavier. He had no choice but to focus his mind and start the meditation method to block out external distractions.
It worked!!
Immediately, Terrance felt as if his attention had shifted elsewhere—the cold and impact of the waterfall faded significantly as time passed little by little. Terrance was inwardly delighted, but as he basked in this joy, an unknown amount of time slipped by before external disturbances once again gained the upper hand. Suddenly, Terrance was jolted out of his meditation method.
“Cough… cough…”
Distracted for just a moment, Terrance choked on the rushing water and was forced to retreat from beneath the waterfall. Taking deep breaths of fresh air, he still felt a lingering chill throughout his body, but compared to being under the waterfall, this was far more comfortable.
Sure enough, if one wanted to train under a waterfall like in the movies, they needed certain advantages.
For example, extraordinary talent or immense strength—only then could one use the waterfall as a means to train their physique. As for Terrance, although he was in decent shape, he hardly felt like he was gaining any physical benefits from this training.
“Wait a minute…” Aside from reflecting on his experience, Terrance suddenly felt a roaring sensation in his mind.
At this moment, Gumshoos also stepped out.
It appeared utterly calm, looking at Terrance with a human-like smile. Terrance remained silent, feeling a deep sense of respect for Gumshoos.
However, what Terrance didn’t know was that both Gumshoos and Mr. Hala were secretly astonished. Terrance’s first attempt had been remarkably impressive—so much so that he had outperformed even Mr. Hala in his youth.
“What a pity…” Hala sighed inwardly. He regretted that Terrance was not a native of the Alola region. Talents like him, with such remarkable potential, were rare in his experience—he had only encountered a handful.
“Aside from that monster called ‘Karate Master’ from the Kanto region, his talent should be considered top-tier. If he is willing to specialize in training Fighting-type Pokémon, he would undoubtedly achieve great success.”
Fortunately, Terrance had no idea what was going through Hala’s mind. Otherwise, he would have been utterly embarrassed—Hala had completely misunderstood.
If not for relying on the external aid of the “meditation method,” his own physique would have been overwhelmed long ago.
“Terrance, it seems that Gumshoos has not acknowledged you,” Hala said.
“Roar~” Gumshoos turned its head away, ignoring Terrance.
“I see…” Terrance wiped the water off his hair. However, his confidence remained completely unshaken—if anything, it had only grown stronger.
“Then I’ll just keep challenging it!”
His eyes gleaming with a fiery intensity, Terrance smiled and spoke calmly, showing not a trace of the frustration one might expect. Hala couldn’t help but stare at him in disbelief.
“Terrance is amazing, Roto~~” Rotom floated beside him, shifting left and right.
During the trial just now, Terrance had discovered a huge secret.
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